DOOMorabilia #9 – The Mini-cubus

With over a quarter-century of history behind it, DOOM’s mark on the world is represented in more than just games. Join us as we find the odd, interesting and occasionally super-rare artifacts that molded DOOM into the franchise you know today!

The Mini-cubus

Just like the original DOOM, 1994’s DOOM II utilized several real-life models that id Software would use to create in-game graphics. What you see here is the reference model for what would become DOOM II’s dual-wielding, beefy baddie: the Mancubus!

This demon, comprised of a steel armature and a good amount of foam latex, was sculpted by the one and only Gregor Punchatz, who created many monstrous models for id Software, including the original Spider Mastermind.

We love revisiting Punchatz’ old models not only because they’re a part of DOOM history, but because they allow us to see how the id team was able to pack in so much detail with their sprites back in the day. It also lets us appreciate aspects of the design that we never paid attention to previously. For example, did you ever notice that the Mancubus has six nipples? Huh, don’t know how we missed that before…the more you know!